Maybe you've seen it while walking in the suburbs of some American city if you have been here before, or yet you've spotted it in some film. It’s the garage sale or yard sale and it is a truly effective way of selling the items you no longer need or use.
It is an improvised market in front of your front door to sell or exchange used objects among private individuals.
Also called yard sale or moving sale, it is a typical custom of Anglo-Saxon countries. It is inspired by the tradition of emptying attics and garages to sell all kinds of things in the backyard: toys, furniture, clothing, accessories, sporting goods, books, works of art, appliances...in short, everything that is no longer useful for you but that shouldn't be thrown away yet.
It’s useful in the event of a move or when there is a need to recover some living space around the home, with the classic seasonal change cleaning. It may be an opportunity to do a bit of decluttering when you realize that you have too many useless and even forgotten things.
Furthermore, it is a great way for sharing, reusing and recycling.
Preparing a garage sale is very simple as you just need to set up some stalls with the objects to sell and perhaps add some signs, colored balloons or festoons to attract the attention of passers-by. In the end you always find enthusiasts of knickknacks or young couples who need well-kept furniture at a low price.
This is a completely informal event, permitted without having to apply for business licenses or collect sales tax because there is no real regulation on the matter. These neighbor-to-neighbor transactions often attract people who are looking for good deals or rare and unusual items. Even collectors perhaps.
The very low prices are a fundamental part of the game and negotiating the value of the goods with the sellers is customary.
The products on sale are generally used or as new, however still usable and ready to receive a second life from those who might be interested. In these private sales you can not only find objects, but real heirlooms that have a story behind them waiting to be discovered.
Americans are not so attached to objects and don’t give objects such a sentimental value so they are actually happy to give their family objects a new life and pass them on to strangers for a few bucks.
In some areas of the United States, garage sales are the driving force behind moments of social cohesion and are an essential part of belonging to the local culture. Over time they have become events involving dozens and dozens of families. Furthermore, they have relaunched a concept of intelligent, economical, ecological and anti-waste fashion, because instead of getting rid of everything that is no longer needed, people have understood that it is better to try to give their objects a second chance.
Other than yard sales and garage sales, it is common to see bake sales in American residential neighborhoods.
Unlike yard and garage sales, bake sales are a fundraising opportunity to raise money for a charity cause.
A stall is set up with homemade baked goods such as cupcakes, cakes, cookies or donuts which are sold by either a club, a school group, scouts or some local charity association to raise indeed funds for the community.
Sometimes this sale is organized door-to-door as for instance the boys and girls scouts usually do selling their (delicious!) mint biscuits by ringing at people’s homes.
